Of all the fields you have gone to....

[punkncat]

Think back on places you have played paintball over the years.
What things that you experienced at the field that were within the owner/managers control made it a good experience?

What things made it bad?

What do you look for in a field?

What attracts you to certain fields?

Why do you avoid certain fields?

What pricing point do you find fair in field fees for a day of play? Air fee? Paint?

Do you feel that a field that allows BYOP is justified in charging a slightly higher price?

[psychowarden]

What things made it bad?
Poor Customer Service. Small, unkempt fields. Bad Paint. Nobody to play with

What do you look for in a field?
A place to play, not a place to deal with the drama of paintball.

What attracts you to certain fields?
Familiar people. Good, honest customer service. Good playing fields. Clean.

Why do you avoid certain fields?
Owner is too much of a salesman, and get's mad at me for not spending alot of money. Don't argue with how much I pay to play, just run the field

What pricing point do you find fair in field fees for a day of play? Air fee? Paint?
Field fee - $5. Air Fee - $10 all day. Paint - Give me a choice from $35 - $80. I don't mind paying good money for good paint.

Do you feel that a field that allows BYOP is justified in charging a slightly higher price?
Stick with FPO.

[behemoth]

Think back on places you have played paintball over the years.
What things that you experienced at the field that were within the owner/managers control made it a good experience?
All American Paintball Park - Manager there was extremly courteous to us. It helps when the person running the field is a player, they know what the customer wants. I had bought a case of paint to shoot thru my new gun at the time. The eyes wouldnt register the ball. I'd stick a swab in there, and it'd work fine. But not the balls - He gave me a different case of paint to try. It worked fine, and i offered the first case back, and he told me to keep it. Turns out, noob mistake, and my battery was dying, causing my eyes to go nuts. I offered to pay for the second case, and he explained he was just helping me out so i could get on the field. Good guy.
What things made it bad?
Intense Paintball - Canton, OH - Terrily lit indoor field with MULCH over warehouse style concrete. Add paint slick, and people were sliding the mulch over the concrete, and faling on their heads. Field owner just kinda shrugged. Lady working the counter obviously did NOT know how to cater to the average paintballer, and flipped a LID about hydro dates, and various other things claiming we were going to blow the place up, etc etc etc. Just stupid **** that anyone who knowsa nything about te game of paintball would deem ignorant.
What do you look for in a field?
Nice playing field, good refs, cheap prices, friendly staff, absentee of douchebags.

What attracts you to certain fields?
Around here you're limited on A) places to play B) People to shoot at, so you kinda figure out if you want to drive further for cheaper paint / better fields, or stay close(r) and pay more and play on nasty fields.
Why do you avoid certain fields?

What pricing point do you find fair in field fees for a day of play? Air fee? Paint?
Fair? I think its all kinda over priced, hence the reason i play pump. But average around here is 10-20 for admission/air, and 45-65 for a case of paint.
Do you feel that a field that allows BYOP is justified in charging a slightly higher price?
FPO is how the fields make their money. Stores around here barely move paint, and thus when you get a box its TERRIBLE. Plus, getting shot with paint kids buy at walmart is always a PITA.

.

[mostpeople]

Anybody ever been to a field where they had the equipment to do 4500 fills, but they only did them for tourney practice and only offered 3000 fills for 'rec ball' simply because its 'rec ball?'

I swear to got I can't wait to leave this state.

[trevorjk]

Think back on places you have played paintball over the years.

What things that you experienced at the field that were within the owner/managers control
to be honest i never actually had a situation where the owner/manager has stepped in. and this is on all levels.

made it a good experience?

a good experience with fields is when you randomly show up for open play you can at least have a 5 vs 5 open play. also good refs, good kept fields, and good mannered players to play with

What things made it bad?

badly kept fields, over priced, bad refs, management doesnt care, cheating and blatent over shooting

What do you look for in a field?

respectable players, good mix of speedball and woodsball through out the fields. i look for a field where i can randomly show up and play a few games with at least 5vs5. and where the average player at the field has a head on there shoulders

What attracts you to certain fields?

level headed players where fun can be had

Why do you avoid certain fields?

over priced, religion, bad management, douchebag players

What pricing point do you find fair in field fees for a day of play? Air fee? Paint?

pricing i find fair is 10-20 to play with all day air included (excluding C02) paint i would expect to be between 50-75. however around here in SE WI and NE IL average field fees are 20-30 with paint ranging from 65-90 a case.

Do you feel that a field that allows BYOP is justified in charging a slightly higher price

i feel that a field that has good paint at a fair price should not need to have a BYOP option. however BYOP always brings out a larger crowd. with that being said i still think a flat rate should be applied for both the customers that buy paint and the customers that dont buy paint. i kind of see it like a gas station, most people want/need paint (gas) where very little profit is made. where as field fee is like the mountain dew that has a 150% markup.

but thats just me

...

[TeamBob]

fields

What things that you experienced at the field that were within the owner/managers control?
- My local field (Skyline Paintball) has great owner/operators who always seem to have things under control.

made it a good experience?
- Nicely upkept, clean, ever changing/improving fields, friendly staff, moderate pricing

What things made it bad?
- Doesnt make it bad, more of a slight downfall. The refs are somewhat young, but always seem to do their jobs, and they also keep game turn around time low. I average 12-15 games a day, thats a lower average though.

What do you look for in a field?
- many quality fields, good reffing, reasonably prices, many players/ respectable competition, well stocked proshop, on hand gun techs, friendly staff. convient.

What attracts you to certain fields?

see above response.

Why do you avoid certain fields?

over priced, bad management, poor competition/players with bad attitudes who are alowed to carry on in such a manner. bad reffing, lack of rule inforcement

What pricing point do you find fair in field fees for a day of play? Air fee? Paint?
-$40-65 a case depending on quality and season. 10-15 for field fee. plus an air fee of 10 for all fay air. My local field actually drops the field fee if u buy a case of paint, and air is only 5 and 10 for all day, even Co2!

Do you feel that a field that allows BYOP is justified in charging a slightly higher price

I feel that they would be justified somewhat. But at the same time, why not support(buying their paint) the local field when you play(unless they are rapeing you wiht prices) . Do the big chain stores build you a castle, or let you play on thier $20k airball field with $50k turf? Didnt think so, so i would say that you should pay them a field fee if you dont buy thier paint. But after paying that fee, is it really any cheaper buying the paint somewhere else?

[caylegeorge]

A GOOD briefing at the beginning of the day. One the explains the game and stresses safety. One that does not let the "regulars" goof off and not pay attenting - someone who takes this part seriously.

A field that chrono's every gun before every game.... I Cant believe it when fields chrono CO2 guns in the mornig, only once and never again. By the afternoon when it heats up guys are shooting 350+

-cAyle

[WARPED1]

I look for XBall fields.I like all day air as part of the field fee. I like BYOP, but a field makes next to nothing except for paint sales. So I don't mind buying thier paint. Compressed and CO2 fills are great to offer since not every person is a topurney player, CO2 is just plain cheaper. And the occasional player doesn't care about efficiency or liquid into his gun etc.

[B-Pow]

Think back on places you have played paintball over the years.
What things that you experienced at the field that were within the owner/managers control made it a good experience?

Nice varity, fair prices, good player base, saftey.

What things made it bad?

poor attitudes of other players, small fields or few fields.

What do you look for in a field?

several diffrent woodsball fields, a few speedball/hyper ball fields. Intresting field layout. Creative use of surroundings in field design/managment. Nice regulars who believe in fair play and making sure everyone has a good opertunity for a good time.

What attracts you to certain fields?

Player attitudes.

Why do you avoid certain fields?

see above.

What pricing point do you find fair in field fees for a day of play? Air fee? Paint?

FPO: entry $5, all day air $5-10, paint $40-80 per case
BYOP: entry $10-15, all day air $5-10, on site paint $30-$60

Do you feel that a field that allows BYOP is justified in charging a slightly higher price?

Yes, BYOP allows players to choose their brand of choice, and the field still needs to make money somewhere so they can pay their staff and make improvements. People complain about other players shooting bad staining paint, but the last several times I've been to my local BYOP I have not had that issue. I also like having the ability to try other brands and continue to use my favorites. If the only field near me was FPO with a paint brand I didn't like I wouldn't play much at all.

[Ninjeff]

Have you Illinois guys been to Sudden Impact in Bloomington?

I'd be curious on your opinions of it. I play/work there every weekend for the past 2 years. I love the place like a second home, but i know the owner is always looking for ways to improve.

[trevorjk]

Have you Illinois guys been to Sudden Impact in Bloomington?

I'd be curious on your opinions of it. I play/work there every weekend for the past 2 years. I love the place like a second home, but i know the owner is always looking for ways to improve.

never heard of it

[Ninjeff]

never heard of it

Well then you should come down!! Thats for another thread though...

[Aslan]

Think back on places you have played paintball over the years.
What things that you experienced at the field that were within the owner/managers control made it a good experience?

Organization. It says alot about a field when the games don't start on time or you can only fit in like 4 games the whole day because of laziness on the part of the staff.

What things made it bad?

Bad reffing, lazy refs not wanting to walk to certain fields because they are further away.

What do you look for in a field?

Woodsball, varying terrain, good structures, good refs

What attracts you to certain fields?

Location, price, BYOP, events

Why do you avoid certain fields?

Location, Price, Field Paint Only, past negative experiences

What pricing point do you find fair in field fees for a day of play? Air fee? Paint?

Non-Scenario/FPO: $0-$20 entry fee, $15 All-Day air, $45 paint/case
Non-Scenario/BYOP: $20-$25 entry fee, $15-$20 All-Day air, $25 cheap paint/case just in case you run out.
Scenario/FPO: $45 entry fee, $15 All-Day air, $45-$55 paint/case

Do you feel that a field that allows BYOP is justified in charging a slightly higher price?

Absolutely. I'd gladly pay as much as $25 higher in an entry fee to avoid having to use over-priced FPO. I think FPO fields should charge no more than $15 per day...I think it's totally reasonable to charge an extra $10 at a BYOP field.

One more thought....the best thing I ever saw a field do was seperate veterans/elite players from newbies/rooks based on equipment. The enjoyment a new player has or doesn't have is in a large part affected by whether or not they feel like they can compete. I've seen far too many new players get immediately turned off to paintball because they go out for the first time and get completely lit up by guys shooting $1200 equipment. We can argue all day about whether equipment makes the player or vice versa...but the bottom line is guys out there shooting semi-autos for the first time will get outgunned and discouraged by guys shooting competition equipment.

[Jaan]

What things that you experienced at the field that were within the owner/managers control made it a good experience?

Great refs. Safety first and foremost. Clear rules spelled out at the start of the day. Well paced games too, keep the action going. Make it FUN. Make sure everyone is chronied. Make sure the newbies are watched over and taken care of. I usually bring a couple of newbies or rentals with me. Most of my friends don't have the time or money to play that often, or have their own equipment. I want to make sure they have a good time too.

What things made it bad?

Nonexistent refs. Lax rules. Catering to the regulars. Field only paint that's crappy and expensive to boot.

What do you look for in a field?

Fun woodsball fields layouts. Decent prices. Oh yeah...GOOD REFS.

What attracts you to certain fields?

An overall sense of safety and good nature. Just an general feeling that everyone is safe and everyone is there to have fun. A lot of smiling from all the players. The same atmosphere that you get when playing renegade with your friends.

Why do you avoid certain fields?

Too far of a drive, the lack of good reffing staff so you're all basically playing renegade woodsball with strangers but are paying for the privilege. Field paint only sucks too. I know what paint shoot well out of my guns, and I've had to use horrible field paint in the past which made my playing experience lousy. Besides, the refs should be spending their time making sure I don't get blinded, not if I'm shooting field paint.

What pricing point do you find fair in field fees for a day of play? Air fee? Paint?

Field fee for bringing your own equipment $15. All day air $5 more. Paint should be the same price as a local store...in fact it would be good if they had their own store, with a variety of paint to choose from (or at least 3 grades / prices).

Do you feel that a field that allows BYOP is justified in charging a slightly higher price?

Absolutely.

However, if they were smart they would sell their own paint at store prices, and give you a discount on volume, therefor encouraging purchase of their paint.

[68magOwner]

What things made it bad?
Run down fields, management getting too lax about running the place

What do you look for in a field?
Fresh quality netting (I have been to some fields that the netting was so rotted, any ball shot at it from 10 ft or less would penetrate).
Clean bunkers, preferably with frequently changing layouts.
Good prices.
Staff that seems to care about what they're doing.

Why do you avoid certain fields?
Run down, pricy, poor staff.

What pricing point do you find fair in field fees for a day of play? Air fee? Paint?
Entry/Air= $15-$20 Paint=$40-50 for xball bronze quality (decent)

Do you feel that a field that allows BYOP is justified in charging a slightly higher price?
Yes, charge a $10 surcharge to kids that bring their own paint. I really dont like fields that are strictly BYOP, because I get my paint free elsewhere.